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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fall — the season
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. current — happening now
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — to shout
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. current — electric
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — a box
  21. current — of water
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com